SEGUIN, Texas – Scoring with just under three minutes to play in the game, East Texas Baptist University came from behind for a 38-35 victory over Texas Lutheran University. It is the first win in Seguin since 2016 as ETBU moves to 3-5 on the year and 3-4 in the American Southwest Conference.
 
For the second time this season, Cornelius Banks threw for over 300 yards with 316 on 27-of-44 with two touchdowns. Keithlen Griffin recorded four catches for 85 yards and had the go-ahead touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. Tobias Jackson, Jr., added 71 yards receiving and one touchdown while Kaleb O'Bryant had 66 yards. Melek Hamilton finished with 52 yards rushing and one touchdown. ETBU finished with 415 yards of total offense as 316 were in the air and 99 on the ground.
 
The defense was back at it going after the quarterback with four sacks. Joey Verret, who led the team with 11 tackles, had a sack and a forced fumble. Omar Huntington, Jahkamian Carr, and Coby Walker all recorded one sack. Trint Scott picked off his fourth ball of the year, too.
 
It was a back-and-forth first quarter that ended in a 14-14 tie. Texas Lutheran struck first on a two-yard run with 9:21 to play. TLU then made it 14-0 at the 6:17 mark on a seven-yard pass. On the ensuing kickoff, Joshua Whitmore went 73-yards to the TLU 26-yard line. Three plays later, Hamilton rushed up the middle for the first touchdown of the game from nine-yards out to cut the lead to seven, 14-7, with 5:33 left. The defense then forced a three-and-out as ETBU took almost four minutes off the clock with nine plays. Kylon Ashton pushed his way in from one-yard out to tie the game at 14 with just 22 seconds left in the quarter.
 
The second quarter went to ETBU scoring 10 points for at 24-21 lead at the half. TLU retook the lead just under three minutes into the new quarter on a 10-yard run. ETBU went three-and-out but the defense forced a fumble on the next play by Reiss Vickers as Scott recovered it at the TLU 44-yard line. Three plays later, Jackson, Jr. caught a 42-yard pass from Banks to tie it up at 21 with 9:50 left.  Once again, the defense helped the offense with a three-and-out series. With 7:52 left in the half, ETBU started at their own 22-yard line. They drove down to the TLU 20-yard line but was stopped short of a first down. Christian Piazza came on and nailed a 37-yard field goal for the 24-21 lead.
 
TLU had the only score in the third quarter to go up, 28-24, on their first possession with 13:25 left. It wasn't until 7:49 left in the game of the fourth quarter that Ashton plunged into the endzone to retake the lead, 31-28. ETBU went 76 yards on 10 plays to take almost four minutes off the clock. With 4:10 left to play, TLU went 70 yards to score the go ahead touchdown on a four-yard pass to make it 35-31.
 
Whitmore once again helped ETBU with special teams taking the kickoff back 59 yards to the TLU 39-yard line as ETBU took over with 4:00 to go in the game. Six plays later, Griffin grabbed a 24-yard pass from Banks for the game winning touchdown with 2:30 left to play, 38-35. TLU drove to the ETBU 34-yard line with a first-and-10. A one-yard rush was followed by three straight incomplete passes as the defense held up as the Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs. ETBU then ran out the clock for the win.
 
ETBU will host Sul Ross State next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in the last ASC game of the year.